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Search forFarmer, campaigner and businesswoman has a clear purpose
Monday, July 21, 2008, 11:04
In fact, being the director and founder of well-known Exeter publicity agency One Voice Media & PR is merely the most public part of her vast portfolio of activities.
“One Voice is my main work body — I do One Voice Monday to Friday from 8am to 7pm,” Jilly said.
“I do farming mostly at the weekend and about three hours each day. It is very much on a seasonal cycle.”
The actual farming may be seasonal, but she is also very much one voice for her fellow farmers in the industry.
“I am vice-chairman of the National Beef Association Southwest and also Farmers Weekly Farming Champion of the Year,” she said.
“I am also a board director of an insurance company, Cornish Mutual, the first woman director in their 100-year history.”
Such a combination of rural and urban roles might seem a bit incongruous but, according to Jilly, they are closer than you might think.
“As a farmer, you have to be enterprising,” she said.
”When you grow up on a farm, it's very levelling — you have to get on with it. You have to have a really strong work ethic and be level-headed and organised.
“You also have to work as a team and as a family — you're never away from the farm and your responsibilities.
“That translates to One Voice, which is a people business and is about delivery.”
Although Jilly, 51, comes from Devon farming stock (“I'm a fourth-generation farmer”) and married a farmer, her route into the profession was circuitous, to say the least.
“I grew up on the farm near Exeter, went to St Margaret's School and was at King Alfred's College, Winchester,” she said.
From doing a drama degree — “I wanted to be on stage!” — she moved into telesales, selling sheet aluminium metal before joining the marketing division at Clarks Shoes in Somerset in the late 1970s.
“Then I decided to come back to Devon,” she said.
“I worked for RH Advertising and then worked for Exeter City Council's Economic Development Unit for three years.”
In 1985, she got married and four years later she launched the successful One Voice Media & PR.
“These days, we employ seven and we deal with a lot of current affairs issues, such as affordable housing, regional and local food and business issues,” she said.
From their Georgian offices in Southernhay, the business also represents some big names like Holiday on Ice (“They're the world leader in ice entertainment — it's the most visited show in the world, with 320 million visitors”), International Craft and Hobby Fairs (”They do all the creative craft shows around the country”), Taste of the West, and Land Securities, the developer of the Princesshay shopping complex in Exeter.
“We're now also running the membership services of Exeter Chamber of Commerce and Industry,” she said.
“We are still working closely with some of my original clients — it's about helping them to grow their businesses.”
It was only 11 years ago that Jilly and Edwin and their two sons began farming 400 acres in the Exe valley.
“I've been farming since '97. Before that, we had a smallholding of 40 acres at Cheriton Fitzpaine,” she explained.
“I've kept the farming side really separate from what I do at One Voice. My husband Edwin does all the physical side and I do all the management side.”
Edwin and Jilly have a pedigree herd of 200 native South Devon and French Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle, which supplies the beef for the top-rated Casterbridge brand.
”We also work with Defra and the RSPB in a Countryside Stewardship agreement on the farm to increase the populations of cirl bunting, grey legged partridge and sky lark,” she said.
These days Jilly combines her advocacy and farming careers.
“There is huge interest about the way food is produced, and it's growing,” she explained.
“There's an increasing realisation about the challenges of food security, land use, your own carbon footprint and whether you source ethically.
“I want to be quite vocal about food transparency, local food and the TB situation in beef and dairy herds.”
Her advocacy on these and other issues earned her the Farming Champion of the Year accolade — which in turn made her a pin-up for McDonald's.
“It's true, I was Miss February Trayliner,” she said, laughing at my expression.
“It's a positive beef story,” she explained. “McDonald's source a huge amount of prime beef from the Westcountry.
“It promotes a positive image of farming and also of a woman in farming, and for people to know about where their beef comes from.”
Despite her efforts on behalf of the public and farmers, Jilly modestly downplays them.
“I don't have a great deal of time now, but I try to give back to the community as best as I can and I hope that at some time in future I can do more,” she said.
